EDMONTON, AB - Despite the goaltending position's individual nature, it takes two to tango in the twine.
Having split duties down the middle in between the pipes through seven games this season for the Oilers, netminders Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen have flourished so far as a tandem.
Both Smith and Koskinen have posted three wins each and combined for a 2.55 goals-against average and .922 save percentage as crucial cogs in a 6-1-0 start for the Oilers out of the gate to begin the '19-20 NHL season.
Seeing early confidence from both is leaving Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippett with no hesitation to regularly rotate his netminders in and out as his side navigates the travel rigours of being a Pacific Division club after having already journeyed to the East Coast for a four-game road trip that saw the club secure six out of a possible eight points.
Having a refreshed netminder in Koskinen for Wednesday's tilt with the Philadelphia Flyers upon returning to Edmonton early Tuesday morning from Chicago paid dividends, with the Finn posting a career-high 49 saves on 52 shots and being heralded by the bench boss as the first, second, and third star of the night.
BLOG: Koskinen, Smith sharing in early success
"I felt like coming into the season that if we manage both these guys well, we should be able to give both of them the chance to be successful every night," Head Coach Dave Tippett said
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